Method and apparatus for making snow

ABSTRACT

The disclosure is directed to the method of, and apparatus for, making snow by discharging atomized water particles at high velocity with compressed air into an ambient atmosphere of less than 32* F. The method provides the improved step of discharging the particles at an elevation of ten feet or more above the level of the surface to be covered with snow. Preferably, the discharge is accomplished at an elevation above 20 feet above the surface to be covered. The apparatus disclosed is specifically adapted to carry out the noted method.

United States Patent 1191 Loomis 1 1 June 4, 1974 [54] THOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR MAKING 1464.625 9/1969 Carlsson 239/2 SNOW FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLICATIONS 1 1 lnvemorl Harry Loomis Glenwood, 270 889 5/1927 GreatBritain 239/210 [73] Assignee: Alfred C. Body, Shaker Heights,

Ohio a part interest Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. AssistantExaminer-John J. Love [22] Flled' 1969 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Meyer,Tilberry & Body [21] Appl. No.: 789,569

[57] ABSTRACT UcSu I s I l t s on S, [51 1 III". Cl. ratus f making Snowdischarging atomized water ['58] held of Search 239/2 particles at highvelocity with compressed air into an 239/210 28051286 ambient atmosphereof less than 32 F. The method 169/25 137/615 provides the improved stepof discharging the particles at an elevation of ten feet or more abovethe level of [56] References cued the surface to be covered with snow.Preferably, the UNITED STATES PATENTS discharge is accomplished at anelevation above 20 1,959,886 5/1934 Wadsworth 239/2805 feet above thesurface to be covered. The apparatus 2.676471 4/1954 Pierce, Jr 239/2, Sdisclosed is specifically adapted to carry out the noted 3,206,1269/1965 Thomps0n.... 169/25 X th d 3.217.748 11/1965 Harper 137/615$301,485 1/1967 Tropeano et a1. 239/14 X 10 Claims, 6 Drawing FiguresPATENIEDJUN 4:914

- sum 1 nr 3 FIG. I

FIG. 2

INVENTCR. HARRY J. LOOMIS BY Maya, 744% g Body ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUM mmI 3314.319

sum 3 BF 3 INVENTOR HARRY J. LOOM\S 42 MM, & Body ATTO RN EYS METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR MAKING SNOW The present invention is directed toward theart of snow making, and, more particularly, to an improved method andapparatus for making large volumes of high quality snow suitable forskiing.

Artificial snow of the type needed for skiing is generally made byatomizing water into extremely tiny particles and discharging theparticles into the ambient atmosphere at a high velocity by expandedcompressed air. lf the ratio of water to compressed air is proper, andthe atmospheric temperature is below 32 F, the water particles form intosnow. This method of snow making is well known and its theory ofoperation and general limitations regarding the air-water ratios andpressures, and their relationship to ambient air temperatures are setforth at length in US. Pat. No. 2,676,471 to W. M. Pierce, Jr. and areincorporated herein by reference.

In actual practice, the noted method was carried out by portable "guns"mounted on small tripods and connected through hoses with sources ofwater and compressed air. Normally, as shown in the noted patent, theguns included mixing nozzles mounted at the end of an air and watersupply barrel. The guns were arranged so that the nozzles discharged atapproximately 2 to 3 feet above ground level. Additionally, the gunmountings permitted the angular elevation of the barrel to be varied.

This general snow making arrangement had been considered to bathe mostefficient system possible; however, it did have substantialdisadvantages. First, in order to obtain even coverageof the ski slopes,it was necessary to continually haul the guns to new positions on theslopes. This was backbreaking work and it was very difficult to findwork crews that would do a good job regardless of the pay.

Secondly, the presence of the guns and the low level blast required thatthe slopes be closed to skiers during snow making operations. For thisreason, much of the snow making had to be done at night. This makes thetask of repositioning and tending the guns even more difficult.

Thirdly, controlling the quality of the snow was difficult. Hotcompressed air traveling through the hoses lying on the snow, cooled andthe moisture entrained in the air condensed. The condensation froze andthe quantity of air reaching the guns was reduced. With less airreaching the gun, the snow beingproduced became too wet.

Fourthly, and most importantly, even with a highly skilled work crew andwith the system operating at top efficiency under ideal atmosphericconditions, it was not possible for any one gun to produce much morethan two or three inches of snow per hour. This, although satisfactory,was in many places hardly sufficient.

The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus whichovercomes all the above mentioned problems. Most significantly, theinvention produces snow at least 2 times more efficiently than the priormethod. For example, as mentioned with the prior system it was possiblewith one gun to produce approximately 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour;however, with the subject invention, a single gun can produce 3 inchesof snow over an area 8 times as large in the same time period. This isaccomplished without substantially increasing the quantity of compressedair required.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided animprovement to the known method of making snow by atomizing water toform water particles and projecting the particles at high velocity byrapidly expanded compressed air into the ambient atmosphere above a skitrail. The improvement comprises projecting the particles at anelevation of at least ten feet above the ground level of the trail and,preferably, at an elevation in the range above twenty feet.

By discharging the water particles and compressed air at substantiallygreater elevations than was done heretofore, many distinct andunexpected advantages are obtained. For example, skiing can continue onthe slopes while snow making is being carried out. This is so becausethe blast from the guns is well above the skiers. Additionally, theincreased elevation permits prevailing winds to be used for distributingthe snow more uniformly and over a greater area.

In addition to the above, the increased elevation of the guns allows thesupply lines to be self-draining. Thus, the system experiences fewerdifficulties with nozzle and supply line freeze-up.

The most important and dramatic advantage obtained by the invention is,however, a totally unexpected increase in quality and quantity of snowproduced. As an example, in one test, a gun constructed in accordancewith the aforementioned patent was operated at its normal 3 footelevation and, also, at a 30 foot elevation. At the 30 foot elevationthe gun producednearly double the depth of snow obtained at the 3 footelevation and, simultaneously, covered an area 6 to 8 times greater. Thesame quantity of compressed air was required at both levels, but at the30 foot level, the water quantity was, of course, increased to producethe additional quantity of snow. Additionally, a far superior snowquality was obtained at the 30 foot elevation.

The reasons for the dramatic increase in snow production brought aboutby the increase in gun elevation are not fully known and the resultsobtained appear to contradict present snow making knowledge. Althoughthe increased elevation permits the particles to fall farther and dryout and crystallize more, the actual increase obtained in the quantityof snow produced was totally unexpected.

A further aspect of the invention is the provision of apparatusespecially suited for carrying out the improved method. In particular,the apparatus includes a vertical support member adapted to extend atleast 10 feet above a surface to be covered with snow. A snow producinggun unit having at least one nozzle for discharging water particles andcompressed air is carried on the support member with the nozzle adaptedto discharge at a level in the range of at least ten feet above thesurface. Further, means are provided for supplying compressed air andwater to the nozzle and additional means are provided for permitting theposition of the nozzle to be shifted.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is the provision of animproved method and apparatus for producing large quantities of highquality snow.

A further object is the provision of a method of producing snow which,when compared with prior methods, permits a greater quantity of snow tobe produced using the same amount of compressed air.

Another object of the invention is the provision ofa snow making methodand apparatus which permits skiing to continue during the snow makingprocess.

Still another object is the provision of a snow making method andapparatus which is especially suited for permanent installation on skislopes and the like.

Yet another object is the provision of a snow making apparatus of thetype described which can be easily serviced.

A still further object is the provision of a method of snow making whichpermits greater surface areas to be covered with a single gun unit.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a ski slope provided with a plurality ofsnow making units formed in accordance with a preferred embodiment ofthe invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged pictorial views of one of the units shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the unit shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the unit shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;and,

FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposeof illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention only, 'andnot for the purpose of limiting the same, FIG. 1 shows, in pictorialview a ski hill or slope provided with apermanent installation of snowmaking units 10 constructed and operated in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention. As shown, the units 10 arepreferrably positioned adjacent the ski trail at spaced pointstherealong. Although, in the embodiment under consideration, onlypermanently installed units are shown, it is,

of course, to be understood that the usual tripod,

mounted portable units'could be used'for repairing and/or increasingcoverageat various spots on the hill.

In particular, each of the units 10 include a vertically extending andsupport member 12 shown in the form of a wooden telephone or light pole.As is apparent, the support member 12 can be installed specifically forthe snow making apparatus or, alternately, can be an existing pole suchas a previously installed light or electric power pole.

Carried from the support member 12 is a horizontally extending supportboom or'frame assembly 14. The boom assembly 14 includes a first platemember 16 which is suitably connected to the top of the pole by lagscrews 18. Rigidly connected to the plate 16, such as by welding, 'are apair of generally parallel pipe members 20 which extend horizontallyoutward from the pole. A rectangular metal support plate 22 is welded tothe outer ends of pipes 20 and a support brace 24 extends from theunderside of plate 22 to the pole 12. As best shown in FIG. 5, thesupport brace 24 is connected to the pole 12 by a lag screw 26.

A conventional snow making gun 28 is supported by the plate 22 andarranged to direct its discharge generally horizontally. The gun 28 ispreferrably formed in accordance with the teachings of US. Pat. No.2,676,471. As shown, the gun 28 includes a barrel 30 which is connectedat its rear end to the plate 22 by a vertically extending pivot pin 32to permit the barrel to be oscillated through a horizontal plane.

The necessary compressed air and water are supplied to the gun byflexible hoses 34 and 36, respectively. As noted in FIGS. 4 and 5, thehoses 34 and 36 extend up the pole 12 and are suitably connected theretoby small brackets 38. Referring again to FIG. 1, it is seen that thehoses 36 and 34 preferably connected with chilled water and air supplylines 36a and 340 which extend down the ski hill to a suitable source ofwater and compressed air such as a compressor and pumping station 40.

In order to permit the direction of the gun 28 to be adjusted oroscillated from the ground, control ropes 41, 42 and 43 are provided.The control ropes 41 and 42 are connected generally laterally of the gunand extend back to a cross-arm 44 which is welded to the rear edge ofthe plate 16. The cross-arm 44 extends out a substantial distance oneach side of the pole l2 and has smal eyes or pulleys 46 connected atits outer ends. The guide ropes 41 and 42 extend through the pulleys,and is shown in the FIG. 3, extend down the pole into releasableengagement with cleats 50. The rope 43 is also connected to the barrel30 and likewise extends down the pole to a cleat 50. As can be seen,this rope arrangement permits the gun 28 to be shifted to a selectedangular position as shown in FIG. 4, or oscillated about the pivot 32.

Of particular importance to the present invention is the elevationalposition of the gun 28. As previously discussed, prior snow making gununits were positioned on short tripod units such that the distance fromthe ground to the discharge point or the gun nozzle was approximately 2to 3 feet. According to the present invention the gun is preferrablyraised to an elevation such that the nozzle of the gun is at least 10feet above the ground level (i.e. level of the skiing surface) and,preferrably, in a range above 20 feet. In the specific embodiment underconsideration the pole 12 has a height of approximately 25 to 30 feet.By positioning the gun at the increased elevation several advantages areobtained. First, the discharge of the gun is well above the skiingsurface and permits skiing to continue during the snow making operation.Additionally, with the guns positioned at this substantial height thedistribution of the snow is assisted by winds. By positioning the unitsto take advantage of prevailing winds, one gun unit can cover a muchlarger area. Additionally, the enjoyment of the skiers is inhanced bybeing able to ski in the gently falling, newly made snow. An additionaladvantage of the increased elevation is that any condensation whichoccurs in the air supply line is under a substantial head relative tothe main header 36a and quickly flows back down without collecting inthe hose 34. Consequently the supply of air is always maintained at itsmaximum since the condensate will not collect and freeze in the supplyhoses to reduce the cross-sectional air flow area.

The increased elevationof the gun produces, in addition to the two abovenoted advantages a huge and to tally unexpected increase in the quantityof snow which can be produced by each gun. By raising the guns to anelevation in the range mentioned, the output per gun increases by afactor of 5 or l0 and more. This increase is accomplished using the sameamount of air and merely increasing the water supplied to the gun. Thatis, at ground level a normal ratio of air to water under the ratio ofwater to air is greatly increased. Part of this increase is believed tobe due to the fact that the snow has much further to fall and,consequently, dries out more before reaching the ground level; however,this alone is not sufficient to explain the increased output.

FIG. 9 shows a pictorial view of a second embodiment of the invention.This embodiment is generally the same as the embodiment shown in FIGS.1-5 in many particulars. Accordingly, elements which are the same aselements previously discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-5 are identifiedwith the same reference numeral differentiated by a prime suffix. Adescription a FIG. I-5 element is to be taken as equally applicable tothe corresponding FIG. 6 element unless otherwise noted.

In particular, the FIG. 6 embodiment is designed to facilitatemaintenance on the gun unit 28' by providing an arrangement whereby thegun can be readily lowered to a level where it can be serviced from theground. As will be noted, the boom forming horizontal pipe members arepreferably of a length such that they are only about 5 or 6 feet shorterthan the pole 12. Additionally, they are connected to the plate l6 byhinge connections 60. As shown, this permits the gun unit 28 to belowered to the dotted line position.

The boom is maintained in its elevated position by one or more supportmembers 62 which are connected to plate 22 through hinge connections 64.The members 62 are preferably formed from pipe and are releasablyconnected at their lower ends to pole 12. The particular manner in whichconnection is made to the pole 12 is not important to the invention andis shown simply as bracket plates 66 that are welded to members 62 andconnected to pole 12 by releasable bolts or screws 68.

The necessary air and water lines could be connected to the gun in thesame manner as shown in the FIGS. 1-5; however, preferably the supportpipes 62 are connected to the supply lines at their lower ends byreleasable couplings 70. At their upper ends the pipes 62 are connectedwith the gun through short pieces of flexible hose. Consequently, thepipes 62 serve to supply air and water to the gun. To lower the gun itis only necessary to disconnect the water and air couplings 70 andrelease the bolts 68.-

The invention has been described in great detail sufficient to enableone of ordinary skill in the snow making art to make or use the same.Obviously, modifications and alterations of the preferred embodimentwill occur to others upon a reading and understanding of thisspecification and it is my intention to include all such modificationsand alterations as part of my invention insofar as they come within thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention. I claim:

1. In the method of making snow by atomizing water to form waterparticles and projecting the water particles at high velocity by rapidlyexpanded compressed air from a nozzle into the ambient atmosphere abovea ski trail when the atmospheric temperature is below 32 F, theimprovement comprising the step of projecting the particles from saidnozzle while said nozzle is at an elevation of at least 10 feet abovethe ground level of the ski trail.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said particles areprojected from a nozzle which is at an elevation in the range of 20 ormore feet above the ground.

3. The improvement as defined in claim I wherein said particles areprojected substantially horizontally.

4. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said particles areprojected substantially horizontally and in a variable radial direction.

5. Apparatus for producing snow comprising: a vertical support member; asnow producing gun assembly having at leastone nozzle for dischargingwater and compressed air, said nozzle being carried at least 10 feetabove a surface to be covered with snow by means extending radiallyoutwardly of said support member; and, means for supplying air and waterto said nozzle.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 including means for permittingsaid nozzle to be moved arcuately about a vertical pivot.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein the means extendingradially outwardly of said support member is pivotally connected to saidsupport member.

changing the radial direction of said nozzle.

1. In the method of making snow by atomizing water to form waterparticles and projecting the water particles at high velocity by rapidlyexpanded compressed air from a nozzle into the ambient atmosphere abovea ski trail when the atmospheric temperature is below 32* F, theimprovement comprising the step of projecting the particles from saidnozzle while said nozzle is at an elevation of at least 10 feet abovethe ground level of the ski trail.
 2. The improvement as defined inclaim 1 wherein said particles are projected from a nozzle which is atan elevation in the range of 20 or more feet above the ground.
 3. Theimprovement as defined in claim 1 wherein said particles are projectedsubstantially horizontally.
 4. The improvement as defined in claim 1wherein said particles are projected substantially horizontally and in avariable radial direction.
 5. Apparatus for producing snow comprising: avertical support member; a snow producing gun assembly having at leastone nozzle for discharging water and compressed air, said nozzle beingcarried at least 10 feet above a surface to be covered with snow bymeans extending radially outwardly of said support member; and, meansfor supplying air and water to said nozzle.
 6. The apparatus as definedin claim 5 including means for permitting said nozzle to be movedarcuately about a vertical pivot.
 7. The apparatus as defined in claim 5wherein the means extending radially outwardly of said support member ispivotally connected to said support member.
 8. The apparatus as definedin claim 5 wherein said means extending radially is connected to saidsupport member for movement about a horizontal pivot.
 9. The apparatusof claim 7 including means for locking said radially extending meansagainst pivotal movement relative to said support member.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 9 including means for changing the radial directionof said nozzle.